by Kirby Lindsay, posted 1 April 2011
Beneath the legendary Dubliner Pub (and fabulous Frame-Up, and delicious Pie), just past Deluxe Junk, and behind etg, is a doorway onto a collection of commercial spaces collectively referred to as Fremont Place, or the Basement, or the Fremont Mini-Mall, or, ‘you know, that place on the alley…’
On North 36th Street is another doorway, surrounded by eye-catching Wax-On neon and decorations, that also allows access. Down the stairs, visitors first step inside the hair removal studio, specializing in Brazilian waxing for women – and men. Wax-On opened in the Fremont mini-mall in January of 2010, and has quickly became an anchor for the jumble of hard-to-categorize businesses that call this sheltered, but dynamic, space ‘home.’
Who Are They?
Just beyond Wax-On is the chic 27h Studio, a hair salon opened by Alejandro Ulloa in October 2010. Ulloa has styled hair, for both men and women, for 15 years. He shares the space, and the single chair, with stylist Sarah Weyer, with each working 3½ days. Ulloa admitted that the location appealed to him as a destination spot, serving primarily established clients. Yet, they can take drop-in customers, when their schedules allow, and accommodate new clients seeking quality service.
For those who enter Fremont Place from the alley, just inside the door are chairs and tables, and a full kitchen/café set-up. Yet, depending on the time of day, one of two distinct options exist for what will be on the menu.
From 8a – 4p, Amy Stone operates Alley Cat Eats – making Panini sandwiches using local products. “We did our business backwards,” explained Mark Ball, Stone’s husband, who assists while also attending school. About two years ago, a distributor asked them to create sandwiches for a collection of cafés, and now they supply Java Jahn, Zoka Café and some Top Pot Doughnut shops.
Stone and Ball carefully maintain their kitchen to standards set by the Seattle & King County Public Health and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. They intend to grow the business, in Fremont, when Ball graduates this spring, but the improvements they’ve made to the kitchen have already netted them a golden opportunity for maximizing their space.
After a 1 ½ year search, while looking at the single empty retail space in the mini-mall, Zach and Jesse Perry noticed the Alley Cat kitchen. “They came in and said, ‘you don’t use your kitchen at night,’” Ball recalled. The couples worked out an agreement, and now, from 5p to 2a (or so,) visitors can feast on a simple selection of Pel’meni, or Russian dumplings.
The Perrys opened the Pel’meni Dumpling Tzar in the mini-mall in February 2011, a few broad strides from the foot of the Lenin statue – and about the same time that Jesse gave birth. “We didn’t plan to open a restaurant and have a baby at the same time,” new Papa Perry admitted.
For the time being, Zach tends to the café although he gives full credit to Jesse for the contacts that got them started. She was working with the chain of Pel’meni restaurants in Alaska when the two met. They went on to sell this spicier variation of Russian dumpling (a noodle wrapped around a meatball or potato) on the festival circuit. “All you have to do is give them a sample,” explained Zach, “and they’re hooked.”
Finally, beyond the café, at the heart of the Fremont Place mini-mall, resides Hidden Hand Tattoo. “It’s surprising to find ourselves being the senior business,” admitted Jeff Cornell, who opened the studio with his wife, April Cornell, in June 2007.
The tattoo parlor provides high-end, full service custom tattoo services, “primarily to people who want good art in a comfortable environment,” Jeff explained, with a focus on customer service. The artists at Hidden Hand, in addition to April and Jeff Cornell include Roni Falgout, Collin Delgado, Jon Osiris, Charliegrrl Davis, and Ashley Dorr (currently on sabbatical.)
Why Are They?
The Pel’meni Dumpling Tzar and Wax On deliberately sought locations in Fremont, which brought them to Fremont Place. So did the Cornells. “Fremont was my ideal location for my shop,” Jeff Cornell explained, “Fremont has a cool vibe,” and didn’t, at that time, have another tattoo parlor.
For a largely destination business (although “we do get more and more walk-in business,” Cornell admitted,) being off the sidewalk may be an asset. “It’s nice not being right on the street front,” he said, and not having to divide attention between customers and the generally inquisitive. They get to be quietly tucked in a charming location, while being “right in the middle of a vital, vibrant neighborhood,” he explained.
Ulloa praised the building, and his space. “It has so much character,” he said, and his small, windowless space feels larger, full of natural light due to quality design. “It was designed by a good architect,” Ulloa explained.
Perry observed, “the alley is the busiest alley I’ve ever seen,” with pedestrians strolling along it all night. “We know it’s a lot of hard work,” he said, about opening a restaurant, “for us it’s a blast, and eventually we hope to see the money come in.”
For these small – some might even say ‘micro’ – businesses, Fremont Place mini-mall provides them a location to launch and grow their business, or stay and nest in a creative space, slightly off-center of the Center of the Universe.
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©2011 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.